PRO-COR Busts 5 Thieves In Baguio City And Kalinga

By Charmaine Batong and Anna Yamagata (University of the Cordilleras PRO-COR Interns) - The Police Regional Office Cordillera continues its relentless campaign against robbery and theft following a series of arrests in Kalinga and Baguio City.

PRO-COR’s campaign in making the region a crime-free place will not be hindered by even a fellow comrade as Melchor Daisog Callueng Jr., a dismissed PMAer was arrested last February 21, 2015 for allegedly committing estafa in PMA, Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City.

Investigation disclosed that the complainants, Heart Well Pepito Sepat, 21 years old, single, and Daniel Paul Ebalang Pascual, 22 years old, single, both PMA cadets, gave their items including G-Shock watches as part of their Academy tradition to Callueng Jr. who went inside their barracks.

The complainants were expecting Callueng, Jr. to return their watches but the latter left the area. Callueng Jr. is now detained at City Jail upon written order of Inquest by Prosecutor Nimia C. Peralta. On the same day, an attempted theft (pickpocket) occurred at the Market Encounter, Burnham Lake Drive, Baguio City wherein the victim was a 17 year old female student.

Patrolling officers at the place of incident, PO2 Danny Bomogao and PO2 Arniel Marcelo, identified the suspect as Oliver Omaoeng Lumiqued, 36, native of Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga, laborer, and a resident at No.524, Cypress Irisan, Baguio City.

Both PO2 Bomogao and PO2 Marcelo saw the suspect open the victim’s backpack. At that instance, said PNP personnel confronted the suspect and informed the victim to check her bag. The victim then discovered that her backpack’s pocket containing her cash amounting to Php620.00, I-Pad headset worth Php1, 800.00, ball pens and keys, was already unzipped.

Lumiqued was brought to Station 7 for proper disposition. Meanwhile, on February 20, 2015, a certain Gilbert Tobias Aspiras, 22, single and a resident of Purok 8, Kias was arrested for robbery by personnel of Police Station 10, Baguio City.

According to the investigation, the victim, Allan Awini Sabiano, 30, single, miner discovered that the sliding window frame of his rented place was forcibly destroyed when he arrived home. When he checked his room, the backpack containing his Acer i3 17” laptop worth Php25, 000.00 and the gold nugget worth Php105, 615.84 placed inside the pocket were missing.

A street in Baguio City. File photo/The Cordilleran Sun.

Also, on February 18, 2015, a South Korean national identified as Mi Seong Kim, 54 year old and a resident of No.304 GMC Building, 444 Ambuclao Rd., Baguio City reported a theft incident which led to the arrest of Ailyn Garcia Labasen, 30 years old, single, jobless and a native of Mangatarem, Pangasinan, a resident of Purok 7, Sunnyside Fairview, Baguio City. All the items taken from the victim except for the Php7, 000.00 cash were recovered in the possession of the suspect. In the province of Kalinga, a black bag containing a Neo laptop computer, Olympus Digital camera and Nokia cellular phone was recovered in the morning of February 20, 2015 in front of PO3 Juanito Andrada’s residence in Purok 3, Bulanao Norte, Tabuk City Kalinga.

PO3 Andrada then immediately sought the assistance of Bulanao substation when 2 males approached his wife and asked if she noticed a black bag which led to the arrest of two, identified as Arjay Anniban Basinag, 18 years old, single, resident of Binansagan, Bayao, Pinukpuk and Frederick Soriano Lumaday, 20 years old, a resident of Dugpa, Pinukpuk, Kalinga.

Follow up investigation revealed that the said items were stolen inside the boarding house of Jasen Tongdo Soriano, 22 years old, single and Marlyne Batangi Wagason, 24 years old, single, both students and residents of Purok 5, Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga at around 10:30 PM of February 19, 2015. The victims also claimed that a cash amounting to Php1, 000.00 was missing.

These series of outstanding accomplishments by Police Regional Office Cordillera is a clear indication that they are not toying when they pledged that all perpetrators will indisputably be given what they deserve. Cordilleran citizens through the intensified forces of dedicated Cordilleran police officers can expect a more peaceful and quiet place to live in.